Long Road from Ruin
by spiritsunshine
Summary: Just a fic about how Arizona's parents and Callie dealt with the news of the crash and how they get on in the scenario I've imagined.
1. Chapter 1

**Long Road from Ruin Part 1**

**Colonel household:**

Morning routines are always important. Routine is especially important to anybody military trained. So when seeing the inner workings of the Robbins household, you'd be forgiven for thinking you had walked into a dress rehearsal for a Broadway show, minus the showtunes and sparkle. Colonel Daniel Robbins was a man of many talents, but sparkle was not one of them.

On any given morning at 8am, you can find a pot of freshly made coffee providing an inviting aroma travelling throughout the house. You can find the table set for breakfast for two, with a view over pine forests through the window, and a copy of the New York Times folded in the centre of the table. Classical music provides the soft soundtrack for this daily occasion. The only thing which has changed in this act is the number of places set at the table: two, three, four, three then two. The presence of the children is not forgotten though, their smiling faces in a range of ages lining the walls in the combined kitchen-dining room.

The colonel and his wife, Barbara, sit with their coffee discussing the headlines in the newspaper. Oil prices are up – terrible news. Shares in a company are down – good job we didn't invest in them. A dead soldier – a moment of silence, a pang of pain. It had been years but Tim's death didn't hurt any less. The colonel and Barbara close their eyes simultaneously, letting their pain wash over them. The sound of the phone ringing cut this short.

It takes a moment for it to register that it is the phone that made the interrupting noise, and that the phone needs answering. It is Barbara who goes to answer it. The caller ID shows the number to be her daughter's home phone, so she picks up the phone, "Darling, I didn't expect to hear from you. Aren't you usually at work-". It comes as a shock to Barbara that it isn't her daughter who stops her in the middle of her sentence.

"Barbara, its Callie. There's… There's been an accident. You might want to get here."

Before Barbara had a chance to reply, the call was ended, with the phone put down on her. She had heard her daughter in law worry - that was one of Callie's specialties, but sheer panic? That brought a strong wave of nausea crashing over her. Her hands shook as she tried to dial first the home number, then Callie's mobile. She desperately needed to know what was going on. Was it her daughter, or her granddaughter? Who was she kidding; it wasn't any better either way. The next thing she knew, Daniel was wrapping his arms around her. He was asking what was wrong, why she was shaking, but she wasn't hearing a sound which left his mouth. She just knew she had to breathe.

Barbara broke from her husband's arms and ran, fumbling with the patio door. After a few frustrating moments, she threw the door open and ran out into the garden, tears flowing down her face. She had to breathe. She needed to breathe. Daniel followed her and tried to put his arms around her. She resisted, before melting into him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, pushing her hair off her face and out of the streaming tears.

Barbara took a moment to try and compose herself. Her lungs felt shaky with every breath she took. The composing was not going to work, so she tried answering slowly.

"Daniel… That was… Callie. She said… Accident. We should go… Need to go… To Seattle."

With every word she uttered, the colonel's muscles tensed up more. He was becoming more and more scared. Scared for his daughter. Scared for his granddaughter. He'd lost a son and had to mask some of the emotion to stay professional, he couldn't bear to lose anybody else. His arms loosened around his wife, as he slipped a hand into his pocket to take out his cell phone. He dialled a number and waited. He didn't expect to get a response, so it took a moment to register his daughter in law vomiting her words down the phone and into his ear.

"Callie," the same authority in his voice as he used with his subordinates, "calm down and tell me what is going on." He didn't utter another word, instead just pacing around the garden. Barbara, exhausted from all the thoughts running in her mind and tears running down her face, wandered over to the garden set and sat on a chair. She didn't check to see if it was dry, and immediately felt the unique discomfort of sitting in wet clothes. She was too exhausted to follow her husband with her eyes, never mind changing her clothes. It felt like an eternity until her husband spoke again.

"Ok, I'll get us on the next flight". Barbara's eyes opened as Daniel hung up the phone. That was a terrible habit in her opinion; manners were always top priority for Barbara. Daniel put the phone back into his pocket and met her eyes. He said something about packing a bag, but Barbara felt the world slow down again, as if the weight of her wet clothes weighed the whole world down and not just her. The next thing she knew, Daniel was guiding her out of the chair and into the house. She thought she heard something about having to change her clothes - that would make sense after all – but she wouldn't have bet any money on it. Things were moving fast and slow simultaneously, and Daniel was always the one with the level head.

They went into their bedroom and Daniel set some new clothes out for Barbara. She began to get changed automatically, whilst he grabbed a suitcase and threw a random selection of their clothes into it. He was done before she was, and ended up putting her shoes on her before leaving the room with the suitcase and calling a taxi.

Barbara had just pulled on her coat and joined Daniel by the front door when the taxi pulled up. She realised she hadn't got her bag, and went to run back inside, but he stopped her. He had thought to pick it up, with wallets, phones, phone chargers and passports. He really did have a level head in crises. She took her bag and climbed into the car, whilst he lifted the suitcase into the trunk. He got into the back of the car and grabbed her hand.

"It will be ok honey, I promise."

With those words, Barbara felt like her husband was looking not just into her eyes, but into her heart's deepest wish in this moment. As he explained slowly what had happened – the plane her daughter had been on never arrived at its destination, there's been no contact and nobody has any idea where they are – she felt her heart begin to crumble. The weight of the grief from Tim's death and the weight of this seemed impossible to live with, but Daniel was her glue, and was the only thing that held her together as the taxi began to drive in the direction of the airport.


	2. Chapter 2

**Long Road from Ruin**

_[Starts before chapter 1 – sorry for a little time jumping! Also this is a little longer than I expected it to be, the words just wouldn't stop!]_

**Robbins-Torres household:**

The sun was beginning to shine through the curtains as the alarm clock went off. Callie hit her clock a little harder than necessary in order to stop the ringing. She hadn't slept at all that night, and she could almost feel her eyes throbbing in their want for sleep. But she hadn't given up, hadn't moved from her spot, except to get a glass of water, just in case her wife had come home to her. Arizona had never pulled a stunt like this before. She hadn't heard the faint sound of Mark's door opening and closing across the hall, so he must not have come home either, but that was what Mark did. Though he had been good since he met Lexie, even more so since they'd had Sofia, and it was his night with her last night…

Callie swore loudly, and sat up so fast she made her head spin. If Mark didn't come home last night, where was Sofia? She didn't even take off her lingerie in favour of more practical underwear, just threw on an old hoodie and yesterday's jeans. They were the first things she found, and frankly she didn't care if they were clean. She didn't even look in a mirror as she shot out of her apartment, across the hall and hammered on Mark's door.

She felt an indescribable relief crash over her as she heard a scuffling inside the apartment, and the sound of her baby gurgling. After the jingling of keys, a dishevelled Julia opened the door.

"Hey… Um it's early?..."

Callie pushed past her to pick up her daughter, "yeah, sure, early. Did Mark come home last night?"

Julia yawned, before taking a moment to answer. She obviously hadn't had a mountain of worry to flood adrenaline through her veins this morning. In that moment, Callie resented her for that.

"He's not home…" She paused, "Why do you need to know?"

Callie took a deep breath. She had taken to counting to ten with the incorrigible sales people who called and insisted her double glazing could be made ten times better by their company. She pretended Julia was one of them, not an awesome surgeon who had also kind of taken on the role of being step mom to her daughter. After making it to ten, Callie responded.

"Don't you think it's strange? I mean, has he called to say he won't be back? Arizona hasn't called and she never turned up either. What if-"

"What if nothing." Julia interjected. "Their surgery has probably overran and they probably haven't even realised the time. You know how time stops when you have a patient on your table."

Callie couldn't dispute anything Julia said. She was probably right, but it was too late for logic. Callie's mind had gone down the rabbit hole of worst case scenarios. What if there had been a bomb or a shooter? Working at – What was it she heard Karev call it, Seattle Grace Mercy Death? – Well, there, you learn that hospitals aren't exactly safe. She'd gotten to the realm of ridiculous ideas by the time Julia took Sofia out of her hands and replaced her with a coffee, black with two sugars. Just the smell of the coffee was tempting Callie out of the rabbit hole as Julia went to close the apartment door.

"Um, you know you've left your door open right?"

Callie went to swear, but caught herself. She didn't agree with swearing in front of children. She ran back into her apartment to get her keys and remembered to close her door on the way back out. She assumed the coffee was an invite to sit and talk with Julia for a bit. If not, she was going to sit and talk anyway. After last night, she could use the company.

Callie made a joke about being on a roll with closing doors as she closed Mark's front door. It was lame, but Julia seemed too tired to care about seeming cool and not laughing. It was nice to see her let her guard down and not feel like she needed to impress Callie. It must have been hard to try and be accepted into Mark's life Callie guessed. As good looking as Mark is, the reality is he lives across the hall from his daughter and his daughter's two moms. There would never be any escape for Julia. That was only the part she knew though. Mark was obviously still in love with Lexie, not that Julia knew that. Callie's respect for Julia in realising this, and tasting the coffee that she had been given, went through the roof.

It also made her so grateful to have Arizona in her life. Uncomplicated, if Callie ignored her mother's reaction, and no third and fourth wheels. No need to constantly impress not just one person but another two. With this, another pang of worry hit her. She attempted to cover it up by sipping her coffee, but the lump in her throat made it hard to swallow the liquid caffeine. If Julia was right, if it really was the surgery running longer than expected which stopped Arizona coming home on time, why didn't she call? It wasn't like she couldn't have gotten a scrub nurse or intern to send a text even. Callie seemed to have the pieces, but they weren't fitting together. Julia interrupted her train of thought.

"This little angel was good as gold last night," she said, whilst tickling Sofia's tiny feet ever so lightly, "I can't believe how much she seems to have grown up!"

Sofia squealed in delight, her tiny giggles drawing Callie out of the feeling of impending doom. Her daughter really had grown up; she looked more and more like her and had a growing resemblance to Mark every day. And the DNA might not have dictated it, but in every mannerism she could see Arizona. The giggles were definitely Arizona. Callie felt the weight of worry come back to her once again thinking of them.

"Do you not think we should, I don't know…" Callie bit her lip. "Should we call someone? Just to be sure?... I mean Boise won't mind just telling us how long the surgery will last will they?"

Julia finished off her coffee, and then met Callie's eyes with her own.

"Honestly, stop stressing! It will be fine. Are you in work today? 'Cause if so, you're going to have to take Sofia to daycare. I have a packed day, which is always fun, especially when you just know you're going to see patient after patient, all of whom have done something which lies on the scale of stupid…"

Callie smiled and nodded, hoping the nods would convey a multitude of messages. Yes, I can sort out Sofia, yes, packed days are fun, yes, patients do the most insane things. She rinsed her cup and left it by the sink, it was only polite to do so after all, before hoisting Sofia out of her high chair.

"Thanks for having her, Julia. I'll let you get ready; it sounds like the crazies really need you today."

She let Julia open the door for her, and, on hearing the door close behind her, unlocked her own apartment. She set Sofia down before going to make herself another coffee. Callie felt she deserved to replace her bloodstream with coffee – it seemed to be a perfectly reasonable way to deal with the level of stress she had dealt with that morning. That and reading the trashy gossip magazine she'd picked up because of the obscene headlines on the front. Who cared if a celebrity decided to wear a mis-matching outfit, or drink a drink with supposedly no health benefit? Callie knew she didn't but she was glad of the people who did care. Where else would she get this level of pure comedy?

Callie was half way through her second cup of coffee, and a page and a half through a 10 page exposé on the ludicrous antics of some random heiress to some company which produced some virtually useless product, when there was a knock at the door. She sighed and put the magazine down to answer it. She'd refused to surrender her coffee though. In hindsight, it wasn't a good idea for Callie to take her coffee, considering the fact she spilt it all up her arm in a state of half shock, half confusion.

"Owen?..."

"Callie. Can I come in? Maybe rescue a cup of coffee from being wasted like the one you have there?"

Callie moved aside and let him in, watching him walk over to say hi to Sofia. She had that look on her face, the one where babies aren't quite sure if they should cry at the person interacting with them. Callie prayed Sofia wasn't in a crying mood, having her child cry at her boss didn't seem like too good a way to keep in his good books. Though, that was just one more thing to confuse her.

"Don't you have a hospital to run?"

Owen had picked up Sofia, who seemed to have decided she was too exhausted to cry or the sight of Owen hadn't offended her enough to waste the energy crying, by this point. Callie didn't take her eyes off him all the time she was pouring his coffee. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, she decided as she poured herself another coffee, well and truly on her way to replacing her blood with coffee. It was just she was her baby, and it was only natural to be this maternal surely?

Owen put Sofia down as Callie walked over with the coffee. He took his cup, and waited for Callie to sit herself down first. How gentlemanly. Or he was creeping. He did this the last time he told her she had to supervise the interns and lower residents in the pit for a 3 night run. Callie shuddered at the thought of anymore shifts in the pit.

When he sat down, Owen took a mouthful of coffee, almost as if he needed the caffeine courage.

"I spoke to Boise last night. They said our doctors never got there."

Callie put her coffee down on the table. She looked Owen in the eyes.

"What? How? What's happened?"

Owen swirled the coffee in his cup, seeming almost mesmerised by the movement. He seemed to take a very long time contemplating his answer. Callie found herself using her counting to ten trick for the second time this morning – this is why she didn't like to deal with people with less than a minimum percentage of caffeine in her system. Luckily, for both Owen and Callie's status as "employed", he decided to respond by the time she got to 9.

"I've been on the phone to the plane company. They said a communications tower lost signal with the plane suddenly. They suspect it's crashed." Owen sighed, as if the weight of the Earth was on his shoulders. The job as chief had definitely aged him. "I wanted to check they hadn't just had incorrect records before worrying you."

Callie felt time stop. She couldn't do this. Sofia couldn't deal with losing two of her three parents. She suddenly became very conscious of the fact she hadn't even dressed properly this morning. Callie excused herself to get changed, and felt the tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. As she pulled a clean t-shirt over her head, she glimpsed herself in the mirror. She needed to be strong, for her daughter, and for her wife's parents when she told them.

On the phone to Barbara, Callie didn't quite maintain any stability in her voice. How could anything be stable in her life anymore? She actually felt so unstable she had to put the phone down and sit down. She was experiencing heart palpitations, how ironic that Teddy had left and Cristina was also on that plane. The best cardiothoracic surgeons weren't around, and her heart had started to play up. Just Callie's luck!

Her thoughts backtracked a moment or two. Cristina was on the plane. Callie hadn't even asked if Owen was ok. Spurred on by the feeling that she was possibly one of the worst people in this moment, she managed to find stability on her feet. When she got to her living room, she didn't bother asking if he was ok, instead just giving him a hug. The silent understanding the two of them had in that moment was something Callie thought Owen appreciated. She knew she appreciated it at any rate.

The moment turned into minutes before they were disturbed from their peace. Callie answered the phone, half hoping for it to be one of her salesmen so she could tell them where to go, after counting to ten of course. It was a surprise to hear Colonel Daniel Robbins on the phone. Callie had almost forgotten that she had called Barbara. She heard the ever calm Colonel tell her he was getting on a plane with his wife to stay in Seattle so they could all have some support in this time. Callie agreed, before the phone was hung up on her.

She looked up at Owen, who almost looked lost. He appeared to be embarrassed when he thought Callie had noticed this. She thought it about time she made up for her horrific selfishness earlier.

"Owen, would you want to stick around for a bit? Like Colonel said, we all need a little support right now…"

Callie saw a single tear roll down his face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Long Road From Ruin Pt 3**

_[Sorry this took so long to update, I have a lot of work at the moment, but I am going to try and be more regular with this!]_

**Airport:**

The airport was bustling, as per usual. Seeing people going about their normal lives, people who hadn't had their lives turned upside down that day, was both comforting and frustrating to Barbara. Why was it her family that had all the bad luck? She had friends who had also raised soldiers and doctors, and there were no tragedies in their lives. Maybe she had done something really bad to deserve this in a past life. Or maybe her crime was making this all about herself in this moment, when all she should be doing was thinking about her daughter.

Being in a serious accident was not part of how she had imagined her daughter's life would pan out. Not that she had ever predicted a single thing her daughter had done in her life. She hadn't expected the sudden swap in ambition from Law school to Medical school in Arizona's first year of pre-requisite college, especially not after how she had sat and played "Law" with her for hours on end in her childhood. When Arizona was 8, Barbara had bought her a little charcoal suit for her birthday, and she had worn it for hours, shouting objection at any opportunity – especially when peas were put on her dinner plate. She had always hated peas.

Arizona wasn't predictable, and Barbara should have given up a long time ago trying to predict what might or might not happen. Not that this was her daughter's fault. She was only sticking to what she had sworn an oath to do…

Barbara pulled herself out of her thoughts when she saw Daniel approaching, carrying two takeaway cups of coffee. It hurt to smile, but she did it anyway, taking the coffee before her husband sat down next to her. She gripped the cup with both hands, as if it contained all of the strength it took to hold herself together. Noticing this, her husband spoke up.

"I know you like your caffeine honey, but it's not going to disappear if you don't hold it so tight…"

The look on his face showed he immediately regretted his choice of words; hardening from the soft smile he had tried to joke with. Disappear. Like their daughter had done. It was hardly appropriate, especially not from her father.

Barbara was livid, her face not unlike Daniel's in the sense that it wasn't hard to interpret. She could feel her blood boiling, and the pinkness rising up from her chest to her neck. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to remember how it was her yoga instructor ran the relaxation part of every session. Was it breathe in through the nose, hold, then exhale through the mouth? Or was the hold in between breaths? Barbara doubted either method, as neither worked. Before she knew it, the words came flying out of her mouth, her voice escalating with every word.

"Seriously Daniel?! How could you say that?! Do you not think this _matters_? Because let me tell you: this _matters_, our daughter _matters_! She might have disappeared, but that doesn't mean you have to forget about her!"

The bustling airport seemed to have come to a standstill, with people not even making an attempt at being subtle when looking over. But Barbara didn't care, she was just seeing red. It wasn't helping that her husband was trying to quiet her, looking mortified by the whole scenario. The product of his military training – public emotion is weakness. She remembered the lecture he had given to Arizona as a child when she had come home from school in tears. It was only her first few days of starting a new school, she was maybe 7 or 8, and some children had been teasing her about her name. Barbara couldn't remember the names they had called her, she just wanted to block the whole situation from her mind. What mother would want to dwell on their child's misery? At the time, Barbara had supposed Daniel had felt the same, but just had his way of showing it. He told her that tears were a mark of shame and weakness, and the granddaughter of a hero never shows either of them. He had even taken her to the training barracks with him one weekend to teach her how to defend herself. Not necessarily a bad thing, but looking back, Barbara felt a little stunned at her husband's ability, or lack of, to deal with negative emotions.

That was when Barbara began to slip into shock, not at her husband but at herself. How could she have been surprised at this lack of emotion, or blatant hiding of it? The anger had caused her to lose perspective; she had forgotten who she was dealing with. Feeling his arm around her, she allowed herself to melt into her husband, to try and take on some of his serenity in the face of everything. There was something soothing about the meaningless conversation he was making. He had also bought a newspaper with the coffee, and began to comment on the sports pages. Barbara didn't care about the players transferring to different teams, or who was the new manager at what team. All she cared about was the fact her rock was being… Well, her rock.

They sat like this for a while, neither keeping an eye on the time. In their rush, both Daniel and Barbara has forgotten their wrist watches, and there would be a tannoy announcement when boarding opened for their plane, so there was no need to bother themselves with phones. It was only when Daniel's phone went off that they were brought back to the real world. Barbara sat up so that he could get his phone from his pocket to read the text.

As he unlocked his phone, Barbara looked down at her coffee, still in her hands but now stone cold. She felt her mood drop a little, and then a little further when she realised that coffee, although something she would normally be extremely serious about, was not significant in the current moment. She told herself off mentally, and then put her coffee down on the table next to her, before looking to her husband. His face said it all.

"Daniel, what's happened now?"

He passed her the phone "you should read this."

Barbara looked down at the phone and took a moment to absorb the text message.

"_Hey, when you get to Seattle, you should come to the hospital. You will want to be here for this. Callie"_

After re-reading the message, Barbara looked back up at her husband.

"What on Earth does this mean? I don't want to hope for anything… But… Have they…?"

Daniel stopped her mid-sentence putting his hand on hers.

"Don't. Just wait and see."


	4. Chapter 4

**Long road from ruin part 4:**

**Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital:**

68. That was how many ceiling tiles there were in the conference room Callie had found herself in. There were 84 carpet tiles, 90 if you counted the halves at the end of the room by the window. She didn't know how long she had been there, but she knew it was too long if she had taken an interest in interior design. The shows her wife watched about decorating and home renovation bored the life out of her. Callie sighed, and allowed herself to spin in her chair, something she had resisted since she arrived.

The spinning was soothing; it wasn't just her life spinning out of control, she was too. It was nice to be at an equilibrium with life, almost made everything easier to deal with, if she ignored the growing feeling of nausea it caused. She just wanted, no, needed Arizona right not to keep things together. That was how it worked, Callie was the emotional wreck in the relationship, while Arizona was the rock. But now Callie was rock-less, and her rock's rock was crumbling before her eyes too.

Callie didn't recognise her life right now. This was the kind of scene she was usually looking in on. Like the doctors outside the window. Who were talking. About her. As irritated as Callie was, she never turned down the opportunity to allow her emotions to run free. Pulling the door open with more force than necessary, Callie gave the doctors just enough notice for them to brace themselves for the whirlwind of words she was bringing.

"Seriously you guys, just because you've been told you're ready for big boy scrubs does not mean I can't, and won't, kick your asses if you stick around to stare and gossip about the freak show."

Karev and Avery glanced at each other, almost as if they were checking the other wasn't going to run. Callie couldn't decide if it was a safety in numbers thing, or if it was an alpha male thing. Either way, in staying they were making a big mistake.

"You guys are pushing your luck right now. I told you to go so go before-"

"Hey!"

People in the hospital claimed Miranda Bailey knew everything that happened in the hospital. Seeing her walking down the corridor, Callie thought the rumours were true and the woman truly was psychic, or this was one of the biggest cases of coincidence going. She put down the coffee she was carrying, before embarking on one of her famous speeches.

"Torres, you are upset, understandibly. Your wife is gone, your best friend is gone, who could only know where. However," Bailey waved a hand in Karev and Avery's direction, "they have also lost their friends. Their mentors. So yes, Torres, you have a right to be upset and angry, but not at them." She turned to the men. "I will make sure you are paged the second any news comes in, but I amsure you have work you could be doing right now."

She waited before turning to Callie, indicating she should go back into the conference room. Callie felt Balieys glare, and a quick glance over her shoulder didn't just confirm that she was there, but also earned Callie a famous stare down from her quickened her walk back to the chair she had not long vacated. After closing the door, Baley set the coffee down on the table in front of Callie.

"I'm not sure if you deserve this after that performance, but need and deserve are two separate matters." Bailey paused to take a sip of her own coffee. "Seriously though, how are you doing?"

Callie stopped to think for a moment. If she was going to be completely honest, she didn't know the answer. She had gone from having a child with two other parents to a single parent overnight, so she hadn't had the chance to really stop and think about how she was doing beyond that. She was just grateful to have Sofia to channel all of her energy into, Arizona and Mark didn't have that. Callie realised any complaining she might do would just sound extremely selfish. She took a deep breath before deciding on how to answer.

"Well, it's hard hearing Sofia asking for her Mama and Dada. And when she gets to bed its… But I have Arizona's parents coming to stay, I don't know if it's going to make anything easier, but I guess we can be feeling lost together. I asked for them to come straight here when they land, have you been able to get Nick to stay long enough?"

Baile shot a look of disbelief at Callie.

"You're doubting my words of persuasion? I believe you have been on the receiving end of them more than once and, might I add, they were successful too. I might have had to delay his discharge paperwork though…"

Callie smiled. She hadn't known her wife's friend long, but she was sure he wouldn't be happy about staying. He had been looking forward to booking his flight since he was told about the cancer spreading. If he was half as stubborn as Callie thought he might be, there was no chance of him just giving in that easily. Callie didn't even know what Nick had been told about anything. She had assumed Barbara and Daniel might have wanted to see the man who had been like a family member his old life, but was it too much to assume they would want to be the ones to break the news to him? He was, afterall, married to Arizona, bike streamer vows and all.

Callie looked up at Bailey, "what does Nick know exactly?..."

"Unless someone else has said something, nothing. He's not my patient or family Callie. It's not my place to kick him whilst hes down."

Callie thought this was typical, now Bailey, Miranda Bailey, the queen of hospital knowledge, was choosing this moment to not get involved.

"What do I do Miranda? I mean, I barely know the guy, but his family is my family. Do I tell him, or do I wait for Barbara and Daniel? Or is that too much for them to take? I mean, they don't even know about Nick yet… Oh, crap."

Callie swore in Spanish, and rested her head in her hands. Apparently she was the worst in law ever. Just when she was beginning to walk taller, she had been brought back down into this emotional mess which had defined some of her worst days around this hospital. She needed perspective. She needed her compass for life. It was just typical that her compass that never let her get lost in her cloud of emotions was lost herself.

It was a moment before Callie felt Bailey's touch on her arm. She looked up apologetically for the mess she had made her friend watch.

"Don't give me that face. You have nothing to apologise for. This is hard, nobody is going to argue with that. You're doing all you can short of personally scouring every inch of the route between here and Boise, as is everyone in this situation. I just think maybe you ought to go and see Nick, give him some warning of what has happened. He has been confused as to why his doctor hasn't dealt with his discharge, as well as asking after your wife. Plus," Bailey glanced at her watch, "I think Arizona's parents should be landing in Seattle pretty soon. At least half of the hard news will be out of the way… I could bring him here?"

Callie nodded, "I have to do it, don't I?..."

Bailey nodded lightly, and stood up, taking both coffee cups to the bin.

"I'll arrange for a nurse to bring him down in a wheelchair. He shouldn't be walking in his condition… Do you want anything else?"

Callie shook her head, "unless you want to find someone else to break the news to everyone, no."

Callie hated the sympathetic smile Bailey gave her before she left. It reminded her of the sympathy she got when George had cheated, when Erica walked out, when Arizona left her over a row about babies. Oh, and in the airport. Now Arizona had left her again. This time not by choice though. Insecurities began rushing through Callie, even though the rational part of her brain told her her wife would never want to leave her. Things had been so… perfect. Arizona loved Callie and Sofia. She'd even grown to like Mark, and that said a lot. Callie shuddered at the thought of having to live across the hall from one of Arizona's exs. She could never have been so big a person.

Arizona had dealt with that in such a way that it proved that love really could surpass all. It was Callie's turn to step up. She was ready to talk to Nick. First, though, it was time to check her phone.

"_Just landed, will be at the hospital in 10 minutes. Daniel."_

It was only a few moments before Nick arrived, being wheeled in by Karev. In response to Callie's confused look, he offered an explanation of being on his way down here anyway and it would save the time of a nurse. Something like that anyway. Callie was a bit preoccupied with what she was going to say to her patient, her kind-of family. She thanked Karev, and let him shut the door before turning to Nick.

"I'm sorry I haven't been dealing with your paperwork-" she started.

"Sorry?" Nick cut across Callie, "What is all that about? First Arizona hasn't seen me and surely you've told her I'm being discharged. Then my doctor isn't dealing with my discharge papers. THEN I have nurses telling me how sorry they are. I know I'm charming, and even a little hot for a dead guy walking, but I'm pretty sure they don't see me as more of a patient. Especially the hot brunette…"

"Um, I'm pretty sure Tia bats for the other team, especially if her history with my wife has anything to do with it…" Callie had to control the smile that had grown on her face at Nick's frustration with the nurse. Everyone has dealing methods, and hitting on nurses seemed to be his thing. Who was Callie to judge? Straightening out her smile, she continued.

"I know I haven't been around much. And neither has Arizona. There's some stuff going on that you need to know about." Callie paused, and took Nick's hand, "Arizona isn't here at the moment. There's been… well, an accident. She was on the plane, and noone knows where they are. There are search parties out there looking for them. She'll be ok. She has to be ok-"

"Stop. You're rambling. Just stop."

Nick took his hand away from Callie's and looked away. He looked like she had just ripped his heart out and stamped on it, just for good measure. It took him a few minutes to be able to look her in the eyes.

"I wish you would have told me this sooner. I left her a horrible message on her phone. I thought she bailed on me after hearing about me going to Belize. Make sure she doesn't hear it ok?"

Callie nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. Nick gave her a moment before handing her a clipboard.

"I know you're upset, but I can't be here. Not now. I have to get on my flight before I lose more of my family-"

"Wait," Callie stopped him. "You just have to wait. Please."

"It's not like I have much time to wait around these days Call. I'm on borrowed time. Death is calling me, and so is the beach."

He turned himself around in his wheelchair, and stopped in his tracks, seeing the people who practically raised him as a child stood in the doorway, looking heartbroken at what they had just heard.


	5. Chapter 5

**Long Road from Ruin pt 5:**

_[In response to the review about Bailey: Yes, I agree that wife trumps friend/mentor, but that doesn't mean losing a friend or mentor doesn't hurt too. I honestly believe any of the main cast would have had a right to be feeling lost, or concerned for Callie's (or, despite not really being too relevant in this Fic, Owen's) well-being, even if it was in a creepy staring way. I hoped the conversation after the scene with Karev and Avery showed that Bailey wasn't dismissing Callie, more trying to give her some perspective :)_

_Otherwise, please bear with me updating, the exam and dissertation deadline season is here and I will be super busy until the end of May. I will try to update this as much as possible, but I'm sorry in advance!]_

**Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital:**

Time seemed to stand still as Barbara and Daniel Robbins stood awestruck in the doorway, Barbara on the verge of tears. Once he had snapped out of his shock, Daniel took control of the situation, leading his wife to a seat across the table from his daughter in law and almost-son. Once she had sat down, he let his eyes wander back to Nick.

"What do you mean, you're on borrowed time?"

Nick started picking at the skin around his fingernails, a nervous habit he had developed as a child. The skin had become hard, though came off easily with minimal effort, a product of the long standing habit. It was one the Robbins family had always hated, and the vivid memory of having Arizona and Tim simultaneously hit his arms to make him stop, one either side of him, stung. He stopped for a moment, and bit the inside of his mouth to try and stop the pain. He glanced at Callie, almost as if looking for answers, something Callie was a little annoyed by. Maybe she was his doctor, but that did not make it her place to break the news to Barbara and Daniel. Instead of speaking she took his hand, in part as a gesture of support, in part to stop him picking his skin, and gave him the slightest of nods.

"Um, well," Nick hesitated, almost as if he were putting the sentence together in his head word by word. "I have cancer. I've known for 6 years now. And, um, well… It's too far gone."

The words hung in the air for an uncomfortable length of time. The tears had begun to fall not just from Nick's eyes, but Barbara's too. Callie felt herself welling up, and dismissed herself so she could try and hold herself together, if only for a minute. She felt the family needed a moment without her; after all she barely classed herself as a piece of the Robbins family. Since the wedding, she hadn't seen her parents-in-law, and although they were always very welcoming and kind when they spoke, it just didn't seem appropriate to be involved in the moment they needed with Nick.

When she returned, the air was still as tense. It didn't look like anyone had made any progress; Nick looking scared, Barbara devastated and Daniel betrayed. Callie sat down delicately, almost as if she might set off a bomb at any time. She let a moment pass before she risked a glance at Nick, who looked terrified. Maybe he needed to just rip off the Band-Aid, no anaesthesia. Maybe he needed Callie to help him get to a position where he could start to explain the heartache he had just caused the Robbins. Callie hadn't thought it possible to break a shattered heart, but the proof was sat across the table from her. She had to try something.

"Nick came here a few days ago. He was complaining of pain, and said he had recently been diagnosed with cancer-"

"But you said you knew for 6 years Nick?..."

All eyes in the room turned to Barbara, who seemed to have come out of her trance-like state. Her hands were clutching a pocket handkerchief, twisting it over and over, almost as if it was an extension of the cogs in her brain whirring. Her eyes watered, but she didn't stop twisting the handkerchief to blot the tears. Callie glanced at Nick, and it seemed this act of Barbara's persuaded him to break his silence.

"After… After Tim, I didn't think I could take any more death. I knew Arizona couldn't take the heartbreak and I would never put that on to you. I came here because my homeopathic medicines didn't work, and Arizona is married to an orthopaedic surgeon. If I was going to let anyone cut me open, I wanted it to be someone I could trust. And I trust Arizona's judgement." He shot a half smile at Callie. "I made Arizona promise not to tell you about this, I didn't want to worry you. I didn't want to worry her even but needs and musts…"

"Oh Nick," Barbara reached across the table to hold his hand, whether to console him of herself was a mystery. She sighed, "I wish you'd mentioned it sooner, you could've fought it…"

"No."

All eyes turned to Daniel, who seemed to have very much fallen into his role as the Colonel in this moment. It was the first time Callie had seen her father in law in this role, and she was beginning to feel herself develop the authority issues her wife suffered with. Who wouldn't, with a father who had such a cold, hard glare it felt like he was peeling your skin away to see your soul? Callie had to look away, before returning her eyes to him when he spoke again.

"No. You wouldn't have fought. You would have won. Catch it early enough and there's no competition. Diseases get smarter over time, but medicine always begins with a head start. I think Arizona said something like that when explaining her switch of ambition from Law to Medicine. She also said something about people being stupid I think… What did I always tell you kids, Nick?"

The question appeared to be rhetoric, but when Nick didn't answer, Daniel, appearing to have taken a more human approach to the conversation now, nodded in encouragement. Nick inhaled deeply before responding, looking relieved at the change in Daniel's mannerisms.

"You said that being afraid isn't the way to solve a problem. No matter how big a problem is, it can't be solved by running."

"That's right," Daniel said, walking over to Nick, pulling him into a hug. "I just wish you had sorted this sooner."

There wasn't a dry eye in the room and there was some slight laughter over the scuffle for the tissue box which was sat on the table. They sat for a moment, before Nick broke the silence.

"Callie, I'm so grateful for everything you and Arizona have done for me, and it's been lovely for me to see you Colonel, Barbara." He nodded in their direction. "But I have to go. If not for me, but for Arizona. When she gets back, she isn't going to need this…" He waited for the slow nods of acceptance from around the table before carrying on. "I will call when my flight lands, and every day until you find anything else out. But please don't worry about me, I'll be ok. Arizona is your priority, I mean, she's my priority right now."

He waited for the procession of hugs, first Callie before Barbara and Daniel. He then wheeled himself towards the exit, stopping to wave, a sad wave. The door was held open for him by Owen, who himself had been on his way to speak to Callie and her in laws. He waited for Nick to leave, before closing the door and speaking.

"We have some things to discuss."


	6. Chapter 6

**Long road from Ruin part 6**

_[Sorry for the wait on this, I have been really busy as I explained before. I will try and get updates ASAP though!_

_Also, I've tried something new with this chapter. There may be more flashbacks coming up, so please tell me if you like or don't so I can keep writing this the best I can! Thank you all :)]_

**Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital:**

The arrival of Owen somehow made everything more real for Callie. The focus was taken off the family reunion which had taken place and was put back onto the plane. He placed a stack of papers down, before taking his seat at the head of the table. He looked to both Callie and Arizona's parents, checking everyone was ready for him to continue. He cleared his throat before beginning.

"We don't have anyone to wait for. Callie," Owen looked at his colleague, "you are the named emergency contact for both Arizona and Mark. Derek and Meredith are emergency contacts for each other, and Lexie's file has also named Meredith." Owen took a moment to steady himself, inhaling deeply before stating, "Cristina is my wife."

Silence hung over the four of them for a moment. The reality came over Callie in another wave, causing her to reach for the tissue box in the centre of the table, hoping to catch any stray tears before they fell to stain her t-shirt. She saw her mascara was slightly smudged, causing her to remember falling asleep in anticipation of her wife arriving home. She had fallen asleep waiting for Arizona before; on the sofa and in bed, but her wife had always returned. Just the hypothetical thought of Arizona not returning had always caused chaos in Callie's head. She would always jump straight to the idea of her wife cheating, her brain and heart still bearing the faint scars of her relationship with George O'Malley. Callie knew deep down Arizona would not do that to her, no, could not. Remembering a conversation which had taken place at the beginning of their relationship, Callie's eyes became waterfalls.

_Callie lay there in silence, propped up on one elbow, mesmerised by her girlfriend, her beautiful, bright and shiny girlfriend, complete with post-coital hair and a soft smile. Her eyes closed, Arizona looked so peaceful, so perfect, and Callie had completely and utterly fallen in love with her._

_Crap._

_It had only been what, a month and a half? Callie didn't have the brain power to work with dates right now. But even with limited brain power, she knew for sure that falling for this incredible blonde was not the best idea. Not with Callie's track record. Fall for George, get cheated on. Fall for Erica, get abandoned. The only sensible romantic choice Callie had made recently had been her friends with benefits situation with Mark. It had been safe. But that was the issue. Callie didn't want safe._

_Callie wanted to love someone so much her heart ached to be parted from them for even a second. She wanted not just to fit into their arms, but for them to fit into her arms too, like two puzzle pieces falling perfectly into place. She wanted to dance and laugh and have the understanding only two people so deeply in love can have. Arizona was all this and more, so why was it Callie couldn't get these thoughts out of her brain?_

_Arizona turned her head and opened her eyes just enough that Callie could see the beautiful cerulean colour._

"_Calliope, you're staring at me."_

"_Can you blame me?" Callie smiled, twirling her girlfriend's hair between her fingers._

"_Smooth, Calliope." Arizona leaned in to kiss her girlfriend, a quick kiss on the lips before pulling back slightly and looking straight into her eyes. "Seriously, what is going on in your awesome brain?"_

_Callie feigned a look of offence before replying, "Who said anything was going on in my brain?"_

"_I know your looks Calliope." Seeing the smile form on her girlfriend's face, Arizona playfully hit her arm. "You always go to the gutter! I didn't mean that, I meant I know when you're worried, scared, thinking… All the things you would usually try and conceal from people for fear of being seen as weak." Arizona held a finger up to Callie's lips before she could even try to protest, so as to not be interrupted. "Just know I will never think you are weak. I think you're strong and wise and beautiful and honest. I hope you know whatever you say won't change my opinion of you Calliope."_

_Callie sighed and put her head back down on her pillow, her face inches from Arizona's. She found her girlfriend's hand and intertwined their fingers before voicing her worries._

"_You're mine. And I'm yours. And right now in this moment I know nothing is going to happen to us but what about next week? You could find someone else or-"_

"_Or nothing, Calliope." Arizona let go of Callie's hand, allowing her arms to wrap around her, pulling her into her embrace. "That's not my style, and I know from the hospital gossip it's not yours either. Which is awesome, because I don't plan on going anywhere. Metaphorically, of course, as I am going to need to go to the door in a bit after I've ordered the pizza…"_

_Callie relaxed into her girlfriend's arms, having to bite her tongue to stop herself from saying the three words she knew it was too early to say._

Callie believed everything Arizona had told her that day, despite the argument about children and Africa. There was just something about the light inside her wife that made Callie trust her so deeply and truly, which is why this whole scenario had her so scared. If Arizona was even going to be fifteen minutes late home she would always text. She always knew where her wife was, this not knowing was too much.

Callie was brought back to the present when she felt arms around her. She blinked to help clear the tears from her eyes and saw it was Barbara who had hugged her in an attempt to help console both of them. Callie allowed herself the indulgence of falling apart, ending only when Daniel gently guided his wife back to her seat across the table. He had apparently left the room for a few minutes, as four coffees sat on the table. Callie apologised for holding up the discussions, which Owen brushed off, and the four of them took the first sips of their coffees before resuming.

"I know this is overwhelming, and I am sorry I have to discuss this with you," Owen started. "I have word from the board that we are to receive updates from the search crew three times a day. The morning update will inform us of the area which will be covered for the day and the plan of action. Colonel Robbins, I understand your military background will give you a greater understanding of the strategies which may be used." Owen waited for a conformational nod from Daniel, which was almost immediate. "On behalf of the board, I have been asked to tell you that constructive comments will be welcomed from the search crew."

Daniel looked up at Owen, a little stunned. It was obvious he was not expecting to hear that, he was probably more prepared to hear that his emotional involvement in this would make any comments from him inappropriate. His facial expression changed to one of respect for the younger man. If Callie had to guess, she would put money on the idea that Owen had had a heated conversation with the board members over this.

"Moving on," Owen took back control of the pace of the discussion, "The second report will discuss the morning's findings, and re-evaluating the plan for the afternoon. The third will document the afternoon's findings."

Owen allowed a moment for Callie and the Robbins's to absorb the information before continuing.

"We will receive our reports in this room, via conference call. The first call is at 8pm tonight. They will tell us in that call what time they intend to contact us tomorrow morning. Until then, I would like to discuss the possibility of a press release with you all."

Barbara Robbins looked up from her coffee, which she had been staring intently at for the duration of Owen talking. "A press release? Why?"

Before Owen could answer, Callie jumped in. "Its hospital bureaucracy." She turned to Owen, "why do we need to discuss it though? Surely it's just a standard statement?"

Owen took another gulp of his coffee before responding. "I told you I was sorry to have to discuss this with you, and I did not mean was sorry we have been able to get reports on how the search goes. The board have told me they want not just the official hospital statement on the crash, but they also want us to provide some more personal views… They want to use emotion to help gain more press and hopefully more response and therefore a larger search crew. I said I would go back to their meeting upstairs with an answer after speaking to you about this now. I also said I would not allow them to force anyone into something they are not comfortable with," Owen directed this statement at Callie. "If you don't feel comfortable with this, then I will make sure that your job will not be affected."

Callie shook her head at Owen, with a growing feeling of sickness. Since when was her loss something to be paraded about for the use of other people? She wasn't going to allow it. Looking across the table, she felt another wave of nausea. Her mother in law was in floods of tears, shaking so badly that the tissue she was using barely making any contact with her tears. Her father in law was shaking, but not with tears. Callie was feeling a wave of intimidation, although the anger was not aimed at her. She had her second experience of the stem of her wife's authority issues in as few hours. She averted her eyes to the table, afraid of what eye contact could trigger Daniel Robbins into saying.

In averting her eyes, she missed the moment he left his chair, only noticing anything had happened when he slammed the conference door shut after he left.


	7. Chapter 7

**Long Road from Ruin pt 7:**

_[I thought this would take a lot longer than it has, and I've uploaded early because I'm super happy to have handed in my dissertation draft :) Time wise, this doesn't cover a lot, but I hope you all still enjoy!__]_

**Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital:**

**Daniel's POV**

Daniel Robbins, although a powerful man, was always very much in control. You don't get to be promoted to Colonel without a calm head on your shoulders. But right now he was anything but calm. This was only the second time in his adult life he had been this livid, the first being when his brother had decided to cause a scene at their aunt's funeral. Daniel had always despised the actions of those who disrespect the dead, no matter what the dead had done. His aunt had happened to have been a mean drunk, but that didn't mean her grave deserved to be spat on. The boiling of his blood in this moment was even more intense than he had experienced then, something he never thought possible. He found himself on autopilot, leaving his chair then slamming the door behind him – a definite pet peeve of his – all on a mission to get upstairs.

When he found himself stood in front of the elevator, he decided not to even bother pressing the button. A moment of mental clarity told him that there wasn't the time to wait for the elevator; the constant boiling of the blood told him that there was nothing better than running with the anger. Daniel burst through the doors to the stairwell and sprinted up the flight of stairs to the next floor in full Colonel-mode, much to the bemusement of the two young surgeons he ran past. Daniel swore in his head that had there not been worse offenders in the hospital those men would have felt the full force of his wrath.

Emerging from the stairwell, the Colonel looked left and right, trying to gauge his sense of direction. If he was right, and he was inclined to think he was, this floor should have the same layout of the floor he had just departed. He turned right, on instinct, and bumped into another surgeon. He looked down to see the woman who had performed his daughter's wedding ceremony scowling at him.

"An excuse me would be nice, Colonel Robbins."

Daniel stood speechless. It was rare anyone spoke like that to him. Although he already respected Miranda Bailey, her pure guts made him respect her just that little bit more.

"Miranda. May I call you by your first name?" Daniel didn't wait for a response; he had a feeling that by now Owen may have made a start on following him. Hopefully other members of staff could hold him up. It seemed to Daniel that it was impossible for the chief of surgery to get to his destination without at least one minor crisis being brought to his attention en route. "Walk with me?" Daniel indicated the direction and waited for her to take the lead.

"So, Miranda, how is your son?"

Daniel allowed her to talk about little Tuck all the way to the nurses' station, which happened to be right outside the conference room with the board meeting. Never one to interrupt, Daniel waited for Miranda to reach a natural pause in her talking before apologising.

"I'm sorry, but is that the board meeting?"

Miranda nodded, looking a little puzzled but accepting her thanks from the Colonel. Daniel noticed she took little notice of his actions from that moment, seeming to accept his thanks as a dismissal. She took some charts and walked at a reasonable pace down away from the nurses' station, in search of patients. Daniel watched her walk away before taking a breath and stepping toward the conference room door.

**Owen's pov**

The sound of the slamming door seemed to have lasted slightly longer in Owen's head than it should have done. Maybe it was the whole plane-ful of surgeons going missing affecting him, or it could have been the shock of having been told, rather forcefully, by Jenkins that he would propose the press release idea to the Robbins's and Callie. Oh, and then there were the calls he would have to make after this meeting to the non-emergency contact family members of the missing. Owen allowed himself a moment of selfishness – he really wasn't looking forward to talking to his mother in law. He didn't think explaining about how he and Cristina were married but she wasn't invited to the wedding, or how they were in a state of disrepair in their relationship was going to help solve the crisis at hand. If he was going to be honest, any of these factors singularly or combined were more than enough to throw him off his A-game. Apparently, his fast reactions were an essential part of his A-game.

Once he had pulled himself from his thoughts, Owen was greeted to the sight of two dumbstruck, distraught women. He knew he had to go and catch up with Colonel Robbins before he said something he could regret to the board. Owen felt like he should be saying regrettable things, possibly with regrettable actions, at the attempt of exploitation of his emotion over his missing wife. No matter what, he loved Cristina; a love that he thought could only be topped by the love for a child. He couldn't imagine how the Colonel was feeling.

Remembering his manners, he excused himself before leaving the room at a pace too fast to be considered walking but not quite fast enough for running. The hallway was a complete obstacle course, full of people trying to intercept him. He ignored the call of his name; any surgical squabbling would have to be left until he had dealt with this. As far as Owen's understanding went, he was the boss of a staff of surgeons, all of whom happened to be adults. Why they insisted on acting like children as soon as a colleague disagreed with them, he would never know.

Speaking of the children, two of the worst offenders almost walked into Owen as they were wandering out of the stairwell.

"Karev, Avery. Haven't you two got somewhere useful to be?"

The two surgeons glanced sideways at each other, as if looking for a sign for one of them to take the lead.

"Not as important as the guy who just went running up the stairs." Avery started. "He looked like he was trying to recreate a movie scene. Maybe he fancies being a bit of a _Mission Impossible_ Tom Cruise kinda guy…"

"Dude, those films were awesome," Karev agreed, "But I bet Colonel Robbins is way more hardcore than Tom Cruise. No jumping on sofas declaring love-"

"Robbins…?" Avery interjected. "I knew I recognised him. He looked like he was on a mission anyway Hunt… Hunt?"

Owen only just heard Avery questioning his whereabouts before the door to the stairwell was closing behind him. A moment later he heard the doors open again and Avery was calling after him.

"Hunt, you need anything?"

"Just go be a surgeon, Avery!"

Owen was sure Avery would take that as a hit to his pride. He was far too sensitive for his own good and although Owen would usually feel guilty, the current situation was a bit more pressing than grooming Avery's ego. He made a mental note to apologise later as he reached the doors to the hallway. He looked around in time to see Colonel Robbins knock on the conference room door.

**Callie's pov**

Between her father in law and her boss, Callie was once again plunged into the depths of confusion over the male brain. She hadn't been this far in confusion over a guy since trying to figure out what was going on in George's brain around the time he had crossed the line from friendship to relationship with Izzie. She made a mental note to never get frustrated at not being able to understand some of Arizona's decisions. At least her wife understood the concept of talking about her thoughts and feelings. George hadn't, and Daniel and Owen had just demonstrated they also had the male condition of acting without explanation. Callie sent a little thank you to God that she had been in Joe's the night Arizona had first kissed her.

That was beside the point right now. Callie looked to Barbara, who looked just as stunned as Callie felt.

"What was that about?..."

"I don't know," Barbara shook her head, blotting her tears with a tissue, "but I'm not jealous of whoever is on the receiving end of it…" She paused for a moment, almost as if she was lost in her thoughts. When Barbara spoke again it took Callie by surprise. "I know it's bad. And to be honest, I am outraged that the suits could even suggest a thing. But is running out enraged really the answer?"

Callie stared at the table, considering her response, torn between her head and heart. "Honestly? My heart wants me to use my bone breaking skills on them, and if I did, I don't think I would feel guilty. However, my head knows that's not a good idea, for my job, for Arizona's job or for my lack of a criminal record."

Barbara smiled softly and nodded. "I guess not…"

Barbara looked like she was going to say something else, but was pulled from her thoughts by the knock on the door, and the appearance of Alex Karev in the room.

"Um, sorry to interrupt, but you know Colonel Robbins has just gone sprinting upstairs right?"

Both Callie and Barbara nodded, making it Karev's turn to be confused.

"Seriously, first Colonel Robbins goes sprinting. Then Hunt runs like the wind after him. But you two are here. What the hell has gone on?"

**Daniel's pov**

Daniel could hear talking inside the room. This was definitely the room he was after. He closed his eyes for a moment, mentally arranging everything he wanted to say, before knocking on the door, completely unaware of Owen Hunt having caught up to him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Long Road from Ruin pt 8**

_[I hope the wait for this has been worth it :) It isn't exactly what I planned, but as Shonda has taught us all, plans rarely work out...]_

**Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital:**

**Daniel's POV**

Why was it that people always felt the need to discuss whomever may be knocking at the door of the room they were sat in? Surely, the logical thing to do was to just open the door, seeing as hypothesising about the person stood on the other side gave no concrete answer as to whom that people may or may not be. Daniel had never been a fan of these ridiculous social courtesies, especially not as the majority of the time he knocked at doors it was related to a crisis. Instead of waiting for an invitation, Daniel opened the door and stepped into the room. He was met with a group of stunned faces around the table in front of him.

"Excuse me, sir, but you can't just come into here-"

"Actually, I can and I just did." Daniel retorted, commanding respect from each and every person in the room. "Colonel Robbins," he extended his hand to the man who had protested his entering, "And you are?..."

"Jenkins," the man stood up and faced the Colonel. "Larry Jenkins."

Daniel took the Larry's hand and gave it a firm handshake. "You're the same Larry Jenkins who is head of the board?"

"Yes…" Larry answered a little uncertainly.

"For someone who can be so certain that asking a devastated family to do the impossible is a good thing, you sure sound like you don't know who you are. Which is really ironic, considering that you feel you know what is best for everybody else in this situation. You're not a very convincing leader, Larry, and if there's one thing I know, its leadership, in the military and at home." Daniel looked around the rest of the room, and decided that pacing along the conference room would be a good accompaniment to the rest of his speech.

"You see, Larry, you can't lead people unless you know who you are and what your position is. And if you can't be a leader, then you certainly cannot ask people to do what you wish them too. There's no loyalty there. And so," Daniel turned to look Larry in the eyes, "I'm sure you will understand when I say there is no way on Earth that you are going to get the press release you want from any of us."

**Owen's POV**

The urge to clap at the end of Colonel Robbin's speech was overwhelming for Owen; he had never seen anybody captivate an audience so easily. And captivated the board members were, as none of them had noticed he had been stood in the doorway for the past few minutes. He waited for the hold the Colonel had over the room to slip before signalling for him to leave. He walked out of the room without so much as another look at anybody in the room, and headed for the stairs. Owen thought about it for a moment, and decided to follow him. If anyone on the board wanted to ask how it was that one of the family members had found the meeting, they knew how to page him.

Besides, Owen had been brought up to have a strong sense of right and wrong. What with some of the mistakes he had made recently, he thought that being united with Colonel Robbins on this matter would be a good start to re-aligning his moral compass.

**Callie's POV**

Callie had always been a restless person. She was a doer. It had started with her time in Botswana, as part of the Peace Corps. Being a part of the Torres family, she had always given to charity, but somehow giving wasn't enough for her like it was her family. It felt so insignificant. Sure, she knew the figures; the money her family donated each year could provide a more than substantial amount of supplies. But what good were the supplies without people to make sure they're used where they're needed?

Perhaps she was mistaken, but Callie felt like the most useless person in the hospital right now. Her cases had been re-assigned, so she didn't even have any charts she could look over. Karev had brought Sofia down to the conference room, but she was napping, having just been fed. Barbara had decided to lie down for a while, and insisted Daniel accompany her, ignoring his protests and instead telling him that it was the only way she could guarantee he wasn't going to be causing an uproar with anyone else. Callie was sure her mother in law had noticed the look on Owen's face when he had seen the page from Jenkins. Callie was also sure the page wasn't for a pleasant catch up.

Being left alone, the only thing Callie could do was sit and watch the minutes pass by. Looking at her phone, she saw there were a couple of hours until the update at 8pm. Checking Sofia was ok in her carrier, Callie allowed her eyes to close and her mind to slip to the only place she wanted to be.

_Callie carried two cups of coffee into the bedroom, where Arizona was packing her bag. She exchanged the coffee for a kiss, a little ritual for the two of them, before sitting on the bed, eyes never leaving her wife. Arizona continued packing before stopping in her tracks._

"_You're watching me."_

_Callie chuckled, "Since when was it a bad thing for me to be interested in my wife?"_

_Arizona hesitated, fiddling with the hem of a t-shirt she had been in the process of folding. "I didn't say that…" She allowed her eyes to meet Callie's, "I just… I'm nervous."_

_Callie pulled the t-shirt from her wife's hands, and laid it on the bag, making room for her to be able to pull her wife down next to her on the bed and into a cuddle. "Oh honey… I know you hate flying. But I promise you, I'll be there every second next to you." Loosening her grip on her wife, Callie pulled back. She let her fingertips trace Arizona's cheekbone, before kissing her lightly. "I'll be there on every flight if you want me to be."_

_Arizona gave a weak smile, making Callie's heart melt. "Please, Calliope."_

Callie's moment of peace didn't last long. There was a knock on the door, causing her eyes to spring open, seeing Karev walk in with a child on his hip.

"We are not starting a daycare in here, Karev."

He sat opposite to Callie at the table. "I thought Zola might want someone to be close to right now. I mean… I know she's a kid and she doesn't know her mom and dad aren't here right now. And Cristina and Lexie are gone... That's everyone in her life. She just deserves someone to care."

The words pierced Callie's heart. She hadn't even considered Zola… She didn't realise how many of her emotions had been conveyed on her face until Karev began to speak again.

"Hey, you're not a bad person. I should've brought her down when I got Sof."

He cuddled Zola close, and Callie had the fleeting thought that he would be a brilliant father. She thought back to when she had been in a brief fling with him, and couldn't believe she was looking at the same guy. Alex Karev had grown up, become a man.

"Dude, what are you looking at?"

Callie picked her daughter up from her carrier, rocking her gently. "I'm just thinking about how much things have changed. They're never going to stop changing, are they?"

The question hung in the air unanswered. The surgeons settled into silence.


	9. Chapter 9

**Long Road from Ruin pt 9**

_[It's been a long time coming, but we're finally getting some news from the search! Sorry it's taken me a while to write this, there's a part of this that has hit a bit too close to home for me when writing this chapter, and although I wanted to keep it in the story, I struggled with getting it written down. Anyway, as always, enjoy :)]_

**Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital:**

**Callie's pov**

Callie had only just noticed that she was wearing a terrible outfit today. Sure, she wasn't usually the most elegant dresser, but she had never clashed colours this badly. Burnt orange layered over pink – ouch. It might not have been the most appropriate thing to be thinking about, but Callie thought she was just about at breaking point. Her nails were bitten down to stubs, a habit she thought she had kicked aged 8 when she had been allowed to wear nail polish for the first time, and she had paced around the room so many times she was beginning to feel dizzy. Karev had forced her to sit down, and brought her a coffee as well as a sandwich. Callie was starting to see how her wife could stand to be friendly with this guy.

Callie put her narcissistic worries aside, and looked at the clock, there were a couple of minutes until the call from the search team was due, and yet she was the only one in the conference room. She could understand that maybe Owen was caught up in administrative stuff, but it wasn't like Daniel to be late, and by proxy, Barbara either. Callie took to fussing over Sofia to try and calm herself down. Cuddles with her baby were the only thing really working in keeping her blood pressure down.

Callie didn't look up from the face of her angel until she heard the door open. Checking the clock, Callie saw that her parents-in-law were on time, with a minute to spare. She knew Daniel Robbins couldn't stand being late; it was all part of the military training. Callie also knew that Arizona had been raised with the same principles, with her seeing more and more parallels between her wife's behaviour and her father-in-law's.

Daniel had chosen a seat closest to the speakers for the call, to assume a position of dominance Callie supposed. She had heard from Karev about the speech Daniel had given Jenkins earlier today, and from that Callie knew there was no way Colonel Robbins was letting anybody but Colonel Robbins have any leadership in this matter.

In complete contrast to her husband, but probably completely in character for their relationship, Barbara hurried to take a seat next to Callie.

"Can I hold her?"

Callie passed a sleepy Sofia over to her grandmother, and felt a pang of hurt. Her mother had never even taken a second look at her daughter, all because she didn't understand Callie's love for Arizona. Sure her father had come to accept her marriage, and Callie had always been a daddy's girl, but there was something in losing her mother's love that made her feel torn at the soul. What kind of mother could hate her daughter for finding love? Callie almost found herself feeling guilty when she thought of her mother. She wanted to please her, and she had always been taught that you only get one set of parents, but that meant sacrificing her happiness. And when happiness meant having the most incredible woman in the world, and the most perfect baby, she couldn't give that up.

At least Sofia had one wonderful Grandmother who loved her. Callie's eyes began to water as she remembered the last time Sofia had been in the arms of her Grandmother like this.

"_Hey, Sofie… Where's that gorgeous smile then?"_

_Seeing Barbara Robbins coo over her daughter made Callie smile so much her facial muscles hurt. Even Colonel Robbins had softened up around Sofia, allowing his military personality to slip for the baby. According to Barbara, the last time he had let his guard go was when Arizona was only a baby in arms. It made Callie's eyes well up with tears._

_Arizona brought the coffee cups over, and set them on the coffee table. One look was all it took for her to be kneeling in front of Callie, who hadn't realised her teary eyes had been all that obvious._

"_Honey, what's wrong? What can I do?"_

_Callie smiled, hardly believing how lucky she was._

"_Please, just don't ever change."_

Callie snapped herself out of her thoughts, to hear a lot of jargon being used between Daniel, now in full-blown Colonel Mode, and the disembodied voice coming from the speakers. Taking a glance at Barbara, she saw her mother-in-law shake her head slightly.

"I don't understand it either, not even after all of these years." Barbara sighed, "It's frustrating, but he is good at what he does, and it is best to leave him to negotiate directly."

Callie opened her mouth to protest, but not before Barbara spoke first.

"He'll explain it to us in simple terms. Just let him finish this."

Callie nodded, and the two women turned their attention to Sofia.

**Barbara's pov**

Seeing Sofia was the only thing getting Barbara Robbins through the agonising experience of hearing information which could potentially explain where her daughter was, but not understanding it. But, she reminded herself, she trusted her husband. Instead she turned her attention to Callie.

"How are you? I know upset is an obvious emotion in this moment. But I mean, really, how are you?"

Barbara watched Callie chew on her bottom lip, seemingly contemplating her answer.

"On a normal day, when I know Arizona is going to be there at the end of the day, I can tell you that I am doing amazingly well. Your daughter completes me, and without her, I feel like I'm crumbling to be honest…"

On seeing the sadness in her daughter-in-law's eyes, Barbara just had to hug her. She had always been very into hugging as a mother, maybe to compensate for her husband's military attitude, but sadness was always a sure way to get hugged by Barbara.

"You ever need anything," Barbara whispered in Callie's ear, "You know where we are."

Callie pulled out of the hug, looking horrified.

**Callie's pov**

Callie was dumbfounded. How could Barbara have sounded so morbid? Did she believe Arizona wasn't coming back? Was Callie letting her emotions get ahead of themselves again? Callie didn't know the answer to anything right now. Feeling Barbara touch her arm, ever so slightly, Callie looked up.

"I didn't mean anything by that," Barbara started, "It's just I know if Arizona needed anything from us she would never ask. I want you to know that if either of you two, or Sofie, needed anything, we're here. Don't feel you can't ask because we're the in-laws."

Barbara smiled, always knowing how to make someone feel at ease. Callie felt her anxiety levels drop a little, her pulse slowing. She took a few deep breaths, because in allowing her worrying to stop, she had noticed the conference call had ended. Slowly, she turned to face Daniel Robbins, who had been waiting patiently for Callie to be ready for this, and Callie appreciated it.

"Well," Daniel began, "To be as direct as possible, they haven't found any trace of anyone yet. The preliminary plan for tomorrow morning is to widen the search parameters, but they are going to be discussing the best direction in which to do that as I'm speaking now. They will call back tomorrow morning." He paused, and Callie could feel him studying her face. "We should all go and get some rest. If you'd wait for me, I need to see Hunt."

With that, Daniel left the room. His job had prepared him for dealing with these crises, whereas Callie and Barbara were in shock. There was no trace of her.

As a tear slid down her cheek, Callie found she couldn't breathe. She needed air. She needed Arizona.


	10. Chapter 10

**Long Road from Ruin part 10**

_[Firstly I just want to apologise for the delay in getting this chapter written. I am right in the middle of my __**final**__ final exams… So things have been kind of hectic, and this is kind of short compared to other chapters. But this chapter is here, and I'm aiming to update on both this and My Favourite Game this coming Friday or Saturday :)_

_Secondly, in response to __**cycworker**__: I agree that my want for detail in this story has turned out a bit repetitive, especially considering that the story has only covered the time-span of one day so far. I had originally wanted to cover the whole four days; however I have reconsidered this to cover some details in other ways. I hope the time jump in this chapter has worked :)_

_In response to everyone else who has reviewed at any point throughout this fic: thank you for the reviews and kind words, it's all really appreciated. As always, enjoy.]_

**Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital**

**Callie's pov**

Callie sat staring into space. It had become part of her routine in the past four days. Stare into space before a conference call, feel like she was losing the ability to breathe, have a colleague help bring her breathing back to normal before staring into space again. Only Sofia could get her out of this state, and she was in day-care. Just because everybody else's world was turned upside down didn't mean her daughter couldn't enjoy a slice of normality. The only slice of normality Callie enjoyed daily was her coffee. She hadn't slept, and she still wasn't allowed to work as such. She had been asked for her opinion on cases by other Orthopaedic surgeons, but the OR was off-limits.

The only way Callie could keep her mind busy was by keeping count of things; 3 days, 7 panic attacks, 8 talks from colleagues telling her there's still hope, 22 cups of coffee. The conversations with colleagues would have made her smile ordinarily; there was something soothing about hearing Kepner talk about how her parents were praying at church, or listening to Webber talking about how Seattle Grace staff was all fighters. "We're rockstars, Torres, rockstars with scalpels," his voice echoed in her head. Knowing they were there was enough to make Callie want to break down. She had never done well with people being kind to her, with even the smallest acts of kindness causing the flood of tears to break through the barrier in her tear ducts. Yes, they all had missing friends and colleagues, but it was her who had a missing wife and best friend. It was Callie, who once again, had life deal her the worst hand imaginable.

Her parent's in law had become more and more withdrawn, almost like the personality had been scooped out of them. Understandable, given the circumstances, of course. The only person around the hospital who was in a blissful state of unawareness was little Sofia. Callie was almost jealous of her child. She supposed it had been a good thing having three surgeon parents for her daughter. The long hours they worked meant she was probably used to not seeing her Mommy or Daddy on a clockwork routine. Or it might be the fact that at Sofia's age, she had the same level of awareness of any child that age. They had all been so convinced that Sofia was incredibly advanced for her age, she was hitting all the targets for her growth and development despite having been born premature, and being the daughter of three of the best surgeons in Seattle, there was no question about her intelligence. Callie was definitely more inclined to think it was the work routines contributing to her daughter's blissful state.

On seeing Owen enter the room, Callie glanced at the clock. Sure enough, it was a minute before they were due to receive the eighth of the update calls. She noticed Daniel Robbins sit up a little straighter in his chair; saw the transformation from broken hearted father to dedicated Colonel. Callie also felt Barbara Robbins' hands cover her own. It had become routine for Callie and her mother in law to comfort each other during these calls. Callie was grateful for Barbara more than ever in this moment. She had called her father last night after the update, only to have her mother pick up the phone. Lucia had insinuated it was some sort of karma that had caused this mess, leaving Callie heartbroken. Callie had never really known what it was like to have a mother who loved her – it was why she was so protective and loving with Sofia – but right now, in the face of tragedy, she was getting to see a little piece of how a mother should be. Callie found herself jealous of her wife, before she was brought back to reality by the ringing of the conference phone in the middle of the table.

It was Owen who pressed the button to receive the call, answering with a straight forward "Hunt". The need for pleasantries in these conversations had long gone.

"We have news for you Hunt."

Everybody in the room began to lean over the table, as if being closer to the phone would allow them to get the news faster. It was just a simple slip of logic, but so easy to achieve in the face of everything which was happening.

Hunt replied with a hand gesture indicating they should hurry up and give him the news. A move which Callie would have found hilarious if the words she had just heard weren't echoing in her head. There was news. Actual news. Not just coordinates, but news. They'd found Arizona and Mark and the others. And things would be ok and –

Callie's brain stopped dead. There was no indicator as to whether or not they were even alive. Catching up with reality outside of her brain, Callie caught Owen ask what the news was.

"Well," came the disembodied response, "We have 6 people, dehydrated and delusional, some injuries."

Dehydrated and delusional, Callie had never been so happy to hear those words. They were alive. A person can easily recover from dehydration… Her thoughts were stopped in their tracks.

"We've also found remains of one person. We haven't managed to get one word of sense out of anybody. They are under sedation and heading to Boise hospital. We are hoping to get them hydrated and patched up before transferring them to you when they're more stable."

Callie knew Owen was still talking, but all she could hear was her heartbeat. There were remains. They didn't have identities. What if…?

She had to stop herself from thinking, because her heart couldn't take another blow after facing the uphill fight that had been her life. Instead, she left the room, heading downstairs to the ER in search of bones to break.


	11. Chapter 11

**Long Road from Ruin Part 11**

_[Firstly, I want to apologise for being so late with this! Finishing uni, getting drunk and celebrating, moving cities and looking for a full time job is pretty distracting apparently… I've tried to make up for it by adding in some flashback fluff (set way back in season 5 before Izzie and Alex's wedding) though! It's a bit of a reflection of how geeky I really am to be honest, but I hope you all like it :)_

_Secondly, I hope you don't think I'm too mean with what I'm doing with this chapter. I wanted, in the words of , some "DRAMA!" and "THRILLLS!"_

_Thirdly, this story is close to an end. When I started writing this, I was debating covering the beginnings of the recovery, but so many other Arizona recovery fics have been written so well that I wouldn't dream of it! I think I've found a good place to leave it in my plans, but once it is written I'll let you be the judges of that :) _

_I've decided to get this finished before finishing My Favourite Game, then I have a couple of one or two shots planned, but I've learnt my lesson not to put a time-line on these things!_

_As always, enjoy.]_

**Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital, ER**

_Callie always enjoyed a Sunday lie-in. It wasn't like she didn't appreciate the extra sleep on any other day, but there was always something about a Sunday which made it a little bit more special. Maybe it was because she was never allowed to sleep in on a Sunday as a child, instead going to mass. Callie felt bad not going to mass, but she'd long came to the conclusion that going to mass wasn't the answer to everything. God was with her when she fixed bones and saved lives, she didn't need to sit in a church and be told how to worship her God when she cherished her connection with Him more than anything on Earth. He gave her the chance to become a surgeon and to help others. He gave her a wonderful family, and a brilliant best friend. And he gave her a gorgeous woman who she might just be falling for._

_Callie lazily opened her eyes, glancing at the spot where Arizona had been the night before. They had sat up for hours, curled up together talking in between gentle kisses. As much as Callie wanted to immerse herself in the blonde, they had agreed to take things slow, do things properly. From Callie's track record, that was probably a good idea. She didn't want another shotgun marriage or abandonment. Callie was ready for commitment, ready to do things properly, and was relieved when Arizona had agreed._

_Callie got up, threw on a sweater ready to join Arizona in the kitchen. She could hear her humming to herself, a cheerful disposition which Cristina could never manage and far more womanly than Owen could. There were definite advantages of seeing a woman who was so different to the other inhabitants of the apartment. Callie had a smile plastered on her face before she'd even set eyes on Arizona._

"_Coffee, Calliope?" Arizona beamed, not waiting for an answer. It wasn't a secret that Callie was a caffeine fiend. "I would have made breakfast but I didn't know where to start… Who needs olive, sunflower and vegetable oil? And three kinds of sausage? And-"_

_Callie silenced her with a chaste kiss, wanting to save her from flailing. Callie knew her way around the kitchen, having watched her chef at home from a young age. "I'll make breakfast, what would you like?"_

"_Um… I really liked your pancakes the other day…"_

_Callie rolled her eyes at Arizona, her sweet tooth was insatiable. She heated some oil, vegetable, and mixed the batter and the kitchen island, so she could talk with Arizona. "So, what were you thinking of doing today?"_

"_I thought we could maybe go out?" Arizona chewed her bottom lip for a moment, making Callie just about die inside. "I thought maybe the cinema, Bones."_

_Callie stopped in her tracks. "Bones?... Don't tell me you're a bit of a Trekkie?..."_

_Arizona looked down, a little guiltily, at her coffee. "Um… Maybe…"_

_Callie couldn't control the smile on her face. "Once we've had breakfast, I would love to go boldly where no man has gone before with you…"_

_Arizona chuckled, watching Callie move around the island towards her. "Naughty…"_

_Callie smiled, pulling Arizona close. "Although I would really love that," She punctuated her sentence with a little kiss, "I meant to go and see the new Star Trek film, silly!"_

_Callie felt Arizona pull her in for more kisses, hearing her whisper "Affirmative, Bones" between kisses._

* * *

"Bones."

Callie looked up from the chart she was reading in confusion. She hadn't heard anyone call her that since she had been to see the _JJ. Abrams Star Trek_ movie a few years ago. Nobody but Arizona had ever called her Bones either. Callie supposed her wife might have told Karev about the nickname, but there was no reason for him to have said it right now in the middle of the ER.

"Um, what?..."

Karev indicated the chart he was holding out. "This is a patient with a crushed tibia. I'm giving you bones."

Callie took the chart from him. "You want to assist? She's only 16, it's technically a Peds case."

"Sure." Callie found herself following Karev to the patient. "Abigail Tomkins, 16, crushed her left tibia in a car accident." He stopped just outside of the curtain and lowered his voice, "I won't lie, it doesn't look pretty. It looks infected, the flesh has been shredded. It looks to me like it might be an amputation."

Callie felt her heart sinking. It was bad enough that a child was injured, but for her to be injured while Callie was on a strict OR ban, well it tore her apart. She had to fight off the tears when telling Karev to give her IV antibiotics and take her up to CT. She couldn't abandon this girl, Abigail Tomkins deserved better. Callie didn't so much walk as run when she began her frantic search for Owen Hunt.

She found him back in the conference room, with Barbara and Daniel. Setting eyes on Callie, Barbara hurried towards her and hugged her.

"Oh, Callie dear… You had to leave when it got scary didn't you?" Callie thoughts went back to one of Sofia's operations that Arizona had walked out on. She felt a glimmer of hope inside of her, which must not have been hidden on her face. "It's ok. Arizona is coming home."

That was all it took for the flood barriers in her eyes to open, mascara staining her cheeks. She held on to Barbara as they both cried tears of joy. Through her blurred vision, Callie could have sworn she even saw Daniel wipe his eyes. She smiled, the tears slowing, before setting her eyes on Owen.

"I'm sorry…" Callie wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands. "How are the others? Cristina, Mark?"

Owen nodded. "Cristina's ok. She was the most responsive. Meredith had some pretty bad concussion. Arizona, Mark and Derek, they're in a pretty bad way from what was described. You should be prepared."

Callie nodded. She was expecting something. 4 days in the middle of nowhere wouldn't come without a price. What was she preparing herself for, well, Owen didn't seem to know, and who was Callie to try and guess? She was just relieved. She and Arizona had survived a car crash and a shooter, they'd be fine. As for the others, they were fighters. No, suvivors. Everything would be ok.

Something hit Callie, stopping the relief. "What about Lexie?..."

Owen paused, and shook his head. Callie's heart sunk. She felt like a villain for being relieved about Arizona when Lexie was, well, gone. She wasn't necessarily her best friend, but Callie had really liked her. She shouldn't have died. The accident shouldn't have happened. Someone needed to fight. Callie was reminded what she had come running to Owen for.

"I need to be busy. And there's a 16 year old girl in CT right now with a crushed tibia, who may need an amputation. I say "may" because if I have a chance of operating, I will try to save the leg, to give this girl as little disruption to her life as possible. Without me being cleared for surgery, the dinosaurs will cut it off, no questions asked. I know Arizona is coming home, I can concentrate on this. I can help this girl and try to save the leg. So please, Owen, please clear me for surgery."

Callie watched Owen as he brought his eyes up to meet hers. He really did have lovely eyes, the kind of eyes you could look into and feel completely at ease. He was the perfect choice for chief in Richard's retirement. Callie saw the very slightest inclination of his head. "Go save a leg, Torres."

* * *

Callie was pacing around waiting for the films. Karev had paged her to the viewing room, and yet she had arrived before him. Callie made a mental note not to kick his ass too hard; she thought Arizona had that covered pretty well when she had called him an "ungrateful crapdog" a four days ago. Definitely not one of her wife's finest moments… Callie couldn't help but smile. She wouldn't care if Arizona shouted at her like that every day, so long as she had her wife back home. Though shouting insults wasn't who Arizona was. She loved that her wife was the kind of woman who wanted to live in a fluffy Easter Basket with fairy dust and unicorns. It was going to do wonders for Sofia's imagination, having a mom who believed in magic. Callie's smile turned into a full blown grin, which was wiped off her face less than a minute later.

"You know, Torres, they say talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity. I say it's grinning to yourself."

Alex Karev had finally made an appearance, brown envelope in hand. He wasted no time in getting the films onto the wall and turning on the backlight.

"Took you long enough, Karev." Callie walked to stand next to him, tilting her head as she studied the films. "This is not good…"

Karev shook his head "Scrambled fricken' eggs, man."

Callie tutted. She knew his bedside manner wasn't necessarily the best going, and she didn't approve, but there was a time where he would have said that in front of the patient. She couldn't knock him for saying it here. Instead she turned to him.

"Get blood work and check the white blood cell count. If it's too high, I'm not risking re-building. If it's minor infection, get all the titanium you can get your hands on and we are going to build this girl a new leg. Page me when you're done."

Karev nodded, and left the room, leaving Callie to once again play the waiting game, a game she had come to know well.


End file.
